1. Field
The invention is in the field of devices used while skiing for locating a ski that automatically disengages a ski boot as a result of a fall by the skier and becomes lost under powder snow.
2. State of the Art
The problem of locating a lost ski in powder snow has long plagued skiers and has given rise to a service business by various individuals locating and recovering lost skis for a fee. However, efforts have been made to develop devices that will enable the skier, himself or herself, to immediately locate a ski lost under a covering of light powder snow and to consequently recover it immediately for continued skiing. One such device is in the form of a brightly colored cord securely fastened to the ski and loosely tucked into the clothing of the skier so as to trail along the slide path of the lost ski when the ski is freed from the boot and proceeds on its own to slide under the snow to an unpredictable location. Such device usually has a button at its free end that tends to rise to the surface even though the ski itself remains buried under the powder. At the surface, the button and cord are easily spotted visually by the skier, who can promptly recover the lost ski. However, such a device as heretofore constructed has interfered with the skier's maneuverability and has not always been effective for its intended purpose.